Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many foster-for-adoption placements occurred from (a) 25 July 2014 to 31 March 2015, (b) 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 and (c) 1 April 2016 to 31 August 2016; and how many of those cases involved placement of more than one child.

The Department collects information on children placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning[1].

The number of children placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning at 31 March 2015 was 260[2]. Of these children, 50 were looked after under a voluntary agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, a further 140 were looked after under a care order (full or interim), and 60 had a placement order in place. At 31 March 2016, 320 children were placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning, of which 60 were looked after under a voluntary agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, 170 were looked after under a care order, and 90 had a placement order. The Department does not collect information on how many were entitled to legal aid, nor does it collect information on whether the placement involved more than one child.

Information on placements made during the year is due to be published in December and the data are still undergoing quality assurance checks. Information on fostering for adoption or concurrent planning placements since April 2016 will not be collected until 2017.

[1] Concurrent planning is where the local authority is trying to rehabilitate the child with the birth parents, but at the same time, the local authority is planning for adoption in the event that rehabilitation fails.

[2] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.